Wednesday, July 21, 2010

It's time for "Bouquet of the Month" at Ramblings from a Desert Garden again. Our lilies are in full bloom so I was trying out various "poses" for them, not exactly bouquets. I am reminded that even Solomon in the Bible, who was wealthy enough to afford clothing of the finest fabric or style, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.

Monday, July 19, 2010

I love hydrangeas, and although we can grow the Limelight and Annabelle varieties fairly easily here in Manitoba, it is only recently that with some luck, we can overwinter Endless Summer. Endless Summer blooms in pink in our lime soil, unless we feed it with copper sulphate to bring out the blue. Last week, after a rainstorm, I noticed how soft and pretty the colours were. I am joining in with Monday Mosaics at Mary's. What lovely contributions we find over there every week, and thanks, Mary!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Rebuilt in 1958, the steam engine and mill are fired up each year as part of park special events and interpretive programs. The beach ridges of the old lake served as travel routes for Indians, traders, and settlers. For the early settlers, the beach ridge just east of the park was one of the travel lanes. Known as the Pembina Trail, the oxcart trail and the river crossing are still visible.

This week, we took our 2 youngest grandchildren on a little trip to the USA, where the shopping is just a bit more interesting. On our way back we stopped for a little break at the Old Mill, which for many years was a favorite camping destination for our own children.

Most of the time I am called Millie but my hubby and close friends call me Mil. When our eldest grandson was about 2 and a half years old, we all went camping at the Old Mill campground. On the first morning, my hubby said " Let's go for a walk to see the old mill", and we started off. Suddenly the little guy stopped, tugged on his Grandpa's pantleg, and said with his newly-learned speaking ability, which couldn't yet pronounce the "r's" ..."No, Papa, Gramma's right here!" It took us a second to realize he thought we were going to see the "Old Mil" !!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Lilies are in bloom! Asiatic lilies do well in our zone 3 climate. I love to make little bouquets. Today I noticed that some of the stems were leaning near the ground so I picked enough to fill a medium sized vase. With it is bupleura, which self seeds every year. I once read that this green flower is quite expensive in the Dutch markets.